I Reads You Review: AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #0

"Without a bang"

AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #0
MARVEL COMICS

WRITERS: Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Aaron
ARTIST: Frank Cho
COLORS: Jason Keith
LETTERS: Chris Eliopoulos
COVERS: Frank Cho with Jason Keith; Stephanie Hans (alternate cover)
40pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

Rated: T+

Avengers vs. X-Men is Marvel Comics’ current giant, crossover, event series. I’ve read comments on the old Interweb that suggest Avengers vs. X-Men will be Marvel’s biggest publishing event in over a decade, at least from the point of view of sales.

I am sure that it will be a big thing. This planned 12-issue miniseries pits the Avengers and the X-Men against each other, apparently over The Phoenix. The X-Men are a sales and merchandising juggernaut for Marvel, and the franchise has produced five successful films for 20th Century Fox. The Avengers are a little less than a month away from their debut on the big screen, when the film, Marvel’s The Avengers, arrives. Two Iron Man movies have a combined gross of over one billion dollars in worldwide box office. In 2011, two other Avengers films, Thor and Captain America, each made more than 170 million dollars in domestic box office.

Avengers vs. X-Men #0 is a prologue to the main event and focuses on Avenger, Scarlet Witch, and X-Man, Hope Summers, and blends two separate stories starring each character. In the Scarlet Witch story (written by Brian Michael Bendis), the reality-warping mutant and long-time member of the Avengers hopes to get back into the superhero business. She takes on M.O.D.O.K., but ends up needing help from Spider-Woman and Ms. Marvel. This reunion leads to a bigger reunion, but perhaps, the Scarlet Witch can’t go home again.

In the Hope Summers story (written by Jason Aaron), the young woman called the “mutant messiah,” feels confined by others’ expectations of her. Hope spends her time ruthlessly punishing non-super-powered criminals, but now, she faces the Serpent Society.

For a prologue to a big, big event, Avengers vs. X-Men #0 is surprisingly blasé. The Avengers come across as stock figures in their appearance here, except for The Vision and the Scarlet Witch. This duo is where the fire is in this story, but the constraints forced upon the story smother the fire. The Hope Summers story is only a tad bit better – if it is actually appropriate for me to use the word “better” to describe this comic book. The other characters are wooden, and Hope is petulant, but in a totally boring king of way.

The art by Frank Cho is technically well-drawn, but looks like a mechanical exercise that at least 20 other robo-artists-for-hire could have done in the same drawing style and with the same lack of panache.

I hope issue #1 is better, and I’ll find out soon.

C+

Appearances:
HEROES: Scarlet Witch, Hope Summers; The Avengers: Beast, Iron Man, Ms. Marvel, Spider-Woman, Thor, The Vision, Wolverine; The X-Men: Cyclops, Emma Frost

VILLAINS: M.O.D.O.K.; The Serpent Society: Anaconda, Asp, Bushmaster, Cottonmouth, Puff Adder

Bakuman: Visualization and Imagination

I read Bakuman., Vol. 10

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which has FREE smart phone apps and comics).

Bleach: El Verdugo

I read Bleach, Vol. 39 (Bleach (Graphic Novels))

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which has free comics).

A Column On How Not to End Up Like Trayvon Martin

I wrote a piece that is part spoof of Geraldo Rivera and part satire for my Black Astronaut page at the Comic Book Bin.  Please, go here and enjoy.

Slam Dunk: Win/Loss

I read Slam Dunk, Vol. 21

I posted a review at the Comic Book Bin (which has free comics).

I Reads You Review: THE STRANGE CASE OF MR. HYDE #4

THE STRANGE CASE OF MR. HYDE #4 (OF 4)
DARK HORSE COMICS

WRITER: Cole Haddon
ART: M.S. Corley
COLORS: Jim Campbell
LETTERS: Richard Starkings & Comicraft
32pp, Color, $3.50 U.S.

The Victorian suspense thriller, The Strange Case of Mr. Hyde, unites the real-life Whitechapel Murders and this event’s most famous player, Jack the Ripper, with characters from the novella, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by author Robert Louis Stevenson. This comic book miniseries from writer Cole Haddon and artist M.S. Corley comes to an end with the fourth issue.

The narrator and central character of The Strange Case of Mr. Hyde is Inspector Thomas Adye of Scotland Yard. Assigned to discover the identity of the Whitechapel Murderer, Jack the Ripper, Adye seeks the help of Dr. Henry Jekyll, who is also Mr. Edward Hyde. Apparently, Jack the Ripper is using the same formula Jekyll created and subsequently used to turn himself into Hyde. The formula makes the Ripper a physical marvel and a nearly-unstoppable monster – perhaps stronger than even Hyde.

As The Strange Case of Mr. Hyde #4 begins, Adye and Jekyll race to Whitechapel to apprehend the man who has been revealed as Jack the Ripper, Dr. John Utterson, Jekyll’s old friend and confidant. Adye hopes they are in time to save ginger-haired prostitute, Mary Jane Kelly, from becoming the Ripper’s next victim and ghastly art piece. But to stop the Ripper, Adye may have to allow Jekyll to ingest his serum, and that would mean the return of Hyde. Soon, Adye will find himself caught in the middle of a battle between two horrible monsters, and he will have to be the most cunning if he is to survive.

The final issue of The Strange Case of Mr. Hyde gave me the slam-band ending I was expecting from what has been one of the best comic books I’ve read in the last year. Part Guy Ritchie/Robert Downey, Jr. Sherlock Holmes and part Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, The Strange Case of Mr. Hyde is a high concept Victorian thriller with a lively narrative.

Writer Cole Haddon is inventive in the way he executes this series because every scene offers a surprise. At least as I read it, Haddon usually does the opposite of what is expected, and the resolution is filled with surprises and promises of more good things to come. As far as I’m concerned, Hyde’s fate is a happy ending.

Artist M.S. Corley is Haddon’s equal. His woodcut-like drawing style offers quirky graphics and solid storytelling. This gives the story the visual appearance of being from the past, as if this comic once existed in a 19th century magazine. Style aside, however, the art brings to life this pop confection of murder investigation most foul and Victorian fiction and culture. Corley can take pride in the fact that his work stands out in a way that much comic book art does not.

A

"Shelter from the Storm" Begins Voltron Force Graphic Novel Series

LET’S GO VOLTRON FORCE®!

VIZ MEDIA DELIVERS ACTION-PACKED ADVENTURES FOR ALL AGES WITH NEW VOLTRON FORCE GRAPHIC NOVEL SERIES

VOLTRON FORCE® Updates the Classic ‘80s Sci-fi Epic For A Whole New Generation of Fans

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, debuts today the riveting outer space action of VOLTRON FORCE®, in a new graphic novel series that complements the animated series currently airing on Nicktoons. VOLTRON FORCE Volume 1: SHELTER FROM THE STORM, under the VIZ Kids imprint, is rated ‘A’ for All Ages and will carry an MSRP of $7.99 U.S. / $9.99 CAN.

VOLTRON® is a hugely successful brand that is recognized globally ever since it was introduced in the early 1980’s. Season one of VOLTRON FORCE debuted on Nicktoons in 2011 and was the highest rated premiere ever for the network. The new series is a continuation of the classic ‘80s cartoon, Voltron: Defender of the Universe, with updated storylines and characters for a whole new generation.

VIZ Media’s graphic novels are all-new, original adventures featuring Larmina, Daniel and Vince, the Voltron Force cadets. In the first volume of the series, SHELTER FROM THE STORM, the evil King Lotor and his villainous minion Maahox unleash a horrifying storm, churning with evil energy. When Daniel, Larmina and Vince are sucked into the vortex, their worst nightmares come true!

“Many of us at VIZ—myself included—were huge Voltron fans as kids, so being part of the reimagining of this iconic series is a real thrill,” says Traci Todd, Senior Editor, Children’s Publishing. “The best part? Everyone creating these books is a fan too! From the action-packed adventures by series writer Brian Smith, to the stunning art of Jacob Chabot, Dario Brizuela and Alfa Robbi--these books are truly labors of love.”

VOLTRON FORCE writer Brian Smith is a former Marvel Comics editor whose past credits include The Ultimates, Ultimate Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America, The Incredible Hulk, and dozens of other comics. Smith is also the co-creator/writer behind the New York Times best-selling graphic novel The Stuff of Legend, and the writer/artist of all-ages comic The Intrepid Escape Goat.

Smith is also the illustrator of The Adventures of Daniel Boom AKA LOUDBOY!, named one of The Top 10 Graphic Novels for Youths 2009 by Booklist Online. His illustration clients include Time Out New York Magazine, Nickelodeon, MAD Kids Magazine, Harper Collins, Bongo Comics, Grosset & Dunlap, and American Greetings.

For more information on VOLTRON FORCE or other VIZ Kids properties, please visit: http://www.vizkids.com/.


About Voltron®
In a galaxy plagued with chaos and evil, five robotic lions, piloted by a team of brave space explorers, combine to form the mighty robot hero, Voltron®. After blazing onto TV screens in 1984, Voltron: Defender of the Universe quickly became a top-rated animated series. The hit series inspired a best-selling toy line and made Voltron a pop-culture icon. An all-new 2D/CGI animated series, Voltron Force®, is currently airing in the U.S. on Nicktoons. Follow Voltron on Twitter @Voltron or join the official Voltron Facebook page at Facebook.com/VoltronOfficial for all the latest news.

About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan. Owned by three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular monthly manga anthology SHONEN JUMP magazine and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and INUYASHA, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages. VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products. Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at http://www.viz.com/.